Rare 1959 Playboy All-Star Jazz Poll Winner Medal Awarded to the Four Freshmen

Description

Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
Click to Enlarge
ARTIFACT:
Rare 1959 Playboy All-Star Jazz Poll Winner Medal by Robbins Co. The heavy, sterling medal (over 4 ounces) was awarded to the vocal group, The Four Freshmen. The front shows the iconic bunny head wearing a bowtie in nice relief detail and surrounding it reads: “PLAYBOY ALL-STAR JAZZ POLL WINNER” and the reverse is engraved: “FOUR FRESHMAN VOCAL GROUP 1959”. The Four Freshmen was a male all vocal group with their voices doubling as the instruments. The group was signed to Capitol records in 1950 and later released their first single. The Four Freshmen enjoyed moderate fame, with a number of singles and album releases, as well as appearances in movies. The vocal group inspired many later acts, a were a large influence on Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, in fact one of the Four Freshmen’s songs (with different lyrics) eventually became the Beach Boys 1963 song “A Young Man is Gone”. The group was nominated for Grammy Awards in 1958, 1961, 1963, and 1986.
The Playboy All-Star Jazz Festival was established in 1959 and held in Chicago – it was the first live American indoor jazz festival and nearly 70,000 people attended that first year. The line-up included legends, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Bobby Darrin, and Oscar Peterson – nearly every jazz legend born has performed at the Playboy All-Star Jazz Fest which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2008. The Playboy All-Star Jazz Poll was conducted through the magazine beginning in 1957 making the Four Freshmen one of the first groups to be awarded the distinction.
VINTAGE:
Circa 1959
SIZE:
Approximately Medal: 2-1/2” in diameter
CONSTRUCTION/MATERIALS:
Heavy sterling silver (over 4 ounces), plated
ATTACHMENT:
Sterling silver, plated
MARKINGS:
“STERLING” and Robbins Co. maker mark
ITEM NOTES:
This is from a music and entertainment collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. CON-RJK-25-16 LEGEX8/16
mtvmu50000pja-CON
CONDITION:
8 (Excellent-): The medal shows minor to moderate wear, much of the plated details remain intact, overall excellent condition.
GUARANTEE:
As with all my items, this piece is guaranteed original.
inkfrog terapeak
inkFrog Analytics